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Is thyroxine the same as Synthroid???? If so what determinds which you should take?? Just your doctors preference?
And what exactly puts the weight on??? The hormone replacement or the fact that you go into hypo and you are so tired you can’t move?
MY endo won’t let me exercise yet. He states I have to build up and let my muscles repair first. He also says it is not good for the heart, as it raises it too high. After all, the heart is a muscleBut I really would like to know what puts the weight on.
RebeccajThyroxine is the technical name of T4. It is chemically identical to the replacement hormone called by the names Synthroid, Levothroid, levothyoxin (the generic).
What puts the weight on? First off — not everyone gains a lot of weight. Or, if they do, it doesn’t persist.
But to answer your question, weight gain reasons are extremely complicated.
First; it is now known/thought(?) that when the body experiences starvation, or thinks it is being exposed to possible starvation, it changes our metabolism. Our bodies become more efficient at getting all the nutritious elements out of food. OUr bodies convert more calories to fat than normal. And our metabolic rate is lowered. Thus, Japanese sumo wrestlers, who exercise a lot, and eat very little, are fat. Thus, obesity goes hand in hand with malnourishment in a lot of third world country areas. It is possible, depending upon how long any one of us is hyperthyroid, that the body came to the point of feeling threatened, and began to make some of these changes.
Second. Muscle weighs more than other body tissues, and we apparently lose muscle while hyperthyroid. We lose muscle mass in the large muscles of the legs, arms and chest most obviously. Again, depending upon how long any one of us is hyperthyroid there can be more or less muscle lost. And muscle loss will have appeared to be “weight loss.” BAD weight loss, because the presence of muscle raises metabolism. Muscle mass slowly comes back once we are stabilized at normal levels of thyroid hormone. And this returning muscle mass brings back weight(because muscle weighs more than other tissues). But remember, the presence of muscle RAISES metabolism. With muscle we can eat more without gaining weight than we can without muscle. I have a friend who is a size one or two, who eats huge quantities of food more than I do. She’s all muscle from biking, and running
So, there is a problem for all of us insofar as we cannot tell from one month to the next just how much we can eat without gaining weight. And this confusion can cause us to eat too little, send the body into starvation mode, and cause some fat to be added because the body is protecting itself for future famine.
Worrying about it, trying to “control” it is problematic. I don’t think we can “control” it. Basically, the best thing to do during this time is eat appropriate amounts of nutritious food in a well-balanced diet. IF you are going to avoid foods, avoid the empty calorie stuff like desserts, sugars, and snack foods with very little nutrient value. Make your calories count in other words. And when the doctor gives you the go-ahead to exercise, slowly start to get back to a constant, daily exercise habit. Eventually, your weight issues should settle back to normal.
And, if you are hypo and your doctor tells you that you can safely exercise, do it. Drag yourself out by the nape of the neck and take a walk. It does make us feel better.
Bobbi — NGDF Online Facilitator
Bobbi
Are you telling me that Thyroxine ( which can be anyone of the drugs you wrote) will put weight on, or are you saying that once I am on one of these (Synthroid) and my levels even out I will lose weight???
My doctor put my on Synthroid for a few weeks, but took me off. I will know more on the 17th.
Today I tried on some clothes other than sweats, and nothing fit. Yes, it is discouraging, but I understand it can happen. Also, when I first became sick (late Aug, and before I knew what was wrong) I quit smoking. I was not a heavy smoker, a pack would last me a month. Give or take. So I assume some weight gain is from that.
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